Motor for massage apparatus.



G. F. NELSON.

MOTOR FOR MASSAGE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13. 1912. RENEWED DEC. 7, 1916.

1 24 06 Patented Apr. 24, 1917. E

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G. F. NELSON.

MOTOR FOR MASSAGE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13| 19i2. RENEWED DEC. 7,1916- Patented Apr. 24,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Alina-Al.

- rear end by means of which it is connected I. NELSON, OF WASHINGEOH, DISTRICE 0F IA.

MQTQB FOR MASSAGE AFB t'AT'US.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2d, 191 t.

Application filed March 13, 1912, Serial No. 688,452. Renewed December 7, 1818. Serial No. 135,702.

I a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Washington, and District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Motors, for Massage Apparatus, of which the followin'gis a specification.

' This invention relates generally to a motor for massage apparatus and more particularly to one in which the ordinary city water pressure is employed as an actuating force, and a still further object is to provide an apparatus of such construction that it can be uickly and easily connected with the usual ath-room or household fixtures.

While my apparatus is particularly adapted for use in connection with the ordinary spigot or faucet it will be understood that it can be operated by any fluid pressure.

With these objects in view my invention consists in the novel features of construction and combination hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vibrator constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the hood or cap looking toward the forward end of the same, the vibratory shaft being also shown.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the motor.

Fig. 5 is a face view of the cylinder, the impeller or piston being removed.

Fig. 6 is a face view of the impeller or piston taken from the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 4:.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 8 is a detail section on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a slightly modified means for vibrating the shaft. V

Fig. 10 is a detail elevation of said means.

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a still further modification, and,

Fig. 12 is a. detail showing a modified arrangement of the handle.

In the practical embodiment of my invention I employ an applicator A, which is preferably constructed of soft rubber and provided with a threaded socket A in its to the threaded end B of the shaft B, said shaft B passing through a metal sphere or ball (J held within the forward end of the cap or hood D, said cap or hood being preferably cast about the ball and having bearing portions D and D u on opposite sides of said sphere or ball. s before stated a cap or hood D is cast about the sphere or ball C and after the casting operation has been completed a sharp blow upon the ball or shaft passing therethrough willbe sufficient to free or loosen the sphere or ball from the sides to permit the free .and easy movement of theball within the forward end of the cap or hood.

This method of. manufacture insures a tight joint so far as preventing the escape of fluid is concerned but at the same time permits the movement of the ball or sphere as the shaft is vibrated. The cap or hood D is formed with a circular flange D by means of which it is attached to the flange E of the cylinder E and within the cylinder and between it and the cap or hood is arranged the piston or impeller F by means of which motion is communicated to the shaft B, the inner end of the shaft being operatively connected with this impeller or piston as hereinafter fully explained. The cylinder E has a circular ring E arranged centrally thereof and a wall or partition E extending from this ring E to the inner face of t e cylinder and upon opposite sides of said depending wall or partition E are the ports E and E pipes or tubes E being formed integral with the cylinder as shown, and to which flexibletubes E are connected and by means of which the actuating fluid is passed into the cylinder and exhausted therefrom. H indicates a handle which is preferably made of bakelite, hard rubber or any other suitable material and is attached to the cylinder in any suitable manner and envelops the cylinder tubes or pipes and the connection between the flexible tubes and these tubes or pipes. The impeller F consists of a flat circular plate of a size somewhat smaller than the cylinder E and attached to this plate is a. circular wall-or ring F divided at F the dividing wall or partition E resting within this division F in the ring or wall F. A central socket F is arranged centrally of the fiat plate, said socket F? being closed at its inner end except for two small apertures F In the constructions shown in Figs. 2 and the shaft. "The inner 1 face ofxthe cap. or hood Dis formed with a radial slot-or 're- .cess D in which" works a-ir guide mounted upon the flat circular plate eithe 4 a plug is arranged within theisocket' F said plug having a recess roduced in its outer face which receives t e rear end-of the shaft B, and aspri'ngGK arranged within the socket holds this plug in contact with block I piston or impeller by mean'sof a pin I", this.

guide block Iworking in the slot D as the impeller is movedby the fluid enterin one port and passing-aroundthecircular c am' er of the cylinder and out through the other port at the end of-said circular cham vvber and as the-fluid passes around this cirff cular chamber it impinges against the d1;--Jj

' ment which may .be enerally described as of a gyratory or wab ling nature, the .central portion of the impeller being caused to describe a circle of limited'ar'ea; It is this movement of the impeller produced by the water passing from one port to the other around the circular passage and acting upon the divided ring or wall Fthat causes the shaft B to oscillate, the inner end of said shaft contacting with a spring actuated plug located at the center of the impeller and inasmuch as the applicator is mounted upon the outer end of the shaft B and said shaft is fulcrumed at C it is obvious that the applicator will be vibrated through a short are and'the vibrations of said applicator grow very small, and will be very massage.

In Fig. 9 I have shown the rear end of the shaft B entering a socket I formed at the inner end ofthe guide block I, the 'guide' in the forward. end of a short shaft K having an eccentric end K? which fits within.

' the socket F and the gyratory motion of the impeller F will iinp'art to this shaft K a rotary movement which in turn will be transmitted to the shaft B thereby' giving a rotary movement aswell as a ibratory movement to the applicator.

In the construction shown' in Fig. 9 it will be understood that the shaft B vibrates back and forth in the same plane, whereas in the construction shown in Fig. 11 there is a rotary movement.

As before stated the fluid enters the cylinder' at one side of the partition wall E passes around through the same and out at the opposite side and in so doing acts upon rapid thereby producing a highly efiicient' the rin or wall F of the'impeller causing the sai circular wall orr'ing to come in" contact withthe circular walls of the cylinder, and in practice I prefer to actuate this I device by' the ordinarycity water pressure led thereto by flexibletubes connected with the ordinary bath-room or house-hold fixtures.

" In order to insure .therapid and easy operation of the. device I propose to balance the impeller by transmitt ng a portion of the fluid pressure from one side thereof to the other" and this I accomplish-by pro "viding an aperture L in the circular plate -of;-pthe impeller, which aperture extends down into the circular wall F a certain distance as most clearly show-n in Figs. 7 and 8,

and in addition to this'small aperture I also utilize the small apertures Ft previously referred to, and it will be noted that by reference to Figs. 2 and 4 that these apertures F which are complete circles in the lower end of the socket F extend to the forward end thereof in the form of semi:

circular grooves. I

By means of these apertures a portion ofv the actuating fluid is caused to pass to the opposite side of the impeller and thereby exerts a certain amount of pressure in the Fig. 12 I have shown the handle arranged.

in an inclined position, the rear portion of the cylinder being shaped to receive the I handle'thereon but in all other respects the construction and operation are. identically the same. While cup-shaped, it will be of course understood that any desired shape of applicator can be employed, and it will also be understood that the inlet tube can be equipped at its rear end with any suitable form of coupling device whereby the apparatus can be quickly I'have shown the applicator A as and easily attached to the ordinary bathroom fixture. I

The waterv after passingthrough the motor is discharged into the bath tub or basin andout through the usual drain.

By. means of the device herein shown and described, I; am able to impart a very rapid and gentle motion'to the shaft 13 which inv turn 1s transmitted to the applicator A, thus producing a highly efficient and agreeable massage.

WhatIclaim is 1. A motor of the kind described comprising a holding portion havinga casing con-- nected thereto, said casing having a concen-' tric passage with inlet and outlet ports connected therewith, inlet and outlet pipes extending through the holding portion and communicating with the inlet and outlet ports of the casing, an impeller having a concentric ring of less diameter than the passage adapted to rest in said passage, said ring being divided at one point, a hood connected to the casing, and a shaft universally mounted in said hood and operatively connected to said impeller.

2. A motor of the kind described comprising a handle, a casing connected thereto, said casing having a circular passage separated by a dividing wall with inlet and outlet ports upon opposite sides of said wall, inlet and outlet pipes communicating with said ports and extending through the handle, an impeller having a divided ring of less diameter than the passage adapted to rest in the circular passage of the casing, a hood attached to the forward end of said casing, a shaft universally mounted in the forward end of said, hood, the rear end of said shaft being operatively connected with the impeller, together with yieldable means carried by said impeller for receiving the end thrust of said shaft.

3. A motorof the kind described compris-.

passage, a wall separating said ports, an impeller having a central socket and a ring of less diameter than the passage, said ring being divided and adapted to work in said passage, said impeller having openings produced therein, a hood attached to the casing, a shaft universally mounted at the forward end of said hood, the inner end of the shaft being operatively connected with the central portion of the impeller, and the forward end of the shaft projecting from said hood, the said hood forming a continuation of said casing.

4. In a motor of the kind described a suitable handle, a cylindrical casing carried Within an end of the handle, said casing openingforwardly, a flanged hood carried by the open end of the casing, said hood hava ing a ball arranged therein,-an impeller arranged within said casing and confined therein by the hood flange, a shaft adapted to extend through said ball and to project from said hood, said shaft being operatively connected to said impeller, and means for admitting and discharging a fluid under pressure through said handle to and from said impeller, as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE F. NELSON. Witnesses M. A. BECKHAM, CHARLES C. MYERS. 

